Tuesday, August 18, 1998 Last modified at 1:12 a.m. on Tuesday, August 18, 1998

Americans embarrassed, fascinated by Clinton revelations

Associated Press

Embarrassed but engrossed by an extraordinary piece of political theater, Americans watched their president bare his most personal secrets Monday night and promptly returned a mixed verdict of condemnation and satisfaction.

''Closed chapter,'' one said. Another called him ''an incurable teen-ager.'' A third reflected the sentiments of many: ''He lied.''

In bars and living rooms, stores and college study lounges, they struggled to sort out this lurid twist in American politics and seemed just as split as before: Those who disliked Clinton still disliked him, and those who had faith before expressed faith anew.

''He's an incurable teen-ager, but probably one of the most capable presidents we've ever had,'' said Allen Balbier, a registered Democrat drinking at the Knickerbocker, a bar in Manhattan's Greenwich Village.

An exhausted-looking Clinton, in a tense, taut statement that excruciatingly blended the personal and the political, acknowledged inappropriate contact with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky and told of answering ''questions no American citizen would ever want to answer.''

And, it seemed, Americans agreed. While the mess was an unprecedented political scandal for Washington, for Americans it was also a torturous domestic ordeal ? one that many could identify with and, it seemed, one that many were ready to forget.

''He admitted enough to satisfy the American people. I hope it's done,'' said Marti Peterson, a Republican who owns a marketing firm in Beaverton, Ore. ''I respect him more because he addressed the American public and said now it's done. Let's get to work and build America.''

The first reaction to Clinton's address seemed to mirror opinion polls taken in recent days. An NBC News poll, for example, said two-thirds of those surveyed believed Congress should not open impeachment hearings if Clinton admits a sexual relationship and apologizes to the nation.

But talk kept returning to one thing: lying.

''He was like a little kid saying, 'I took the cookies out of the cookie jar, now let's just change the subject,''' said Allison LePock, 35, of Chesapeake, Va.

At a Hooters restaurant in Columbus, Ohio, Clinton's speech was greeted by laughter, jeers and some booing. One person screamed, ''Bill, you're a phony.''

''He lied,'' said Sean Stennett, 27, a Clinton supporter. ''He disrespected his wife, child and country. If he knew he did wrong, he should have admitted it sooner.''

Lizette Baumgartner, a Sparta, N.J., computer consultant and a Republican who said she voted for Clinton twice, seemed unsatisfied. ''It was sort of, 'I didn't inhale.' He's playing on words,'' she said.